Lock nut assembly and bolt and wrench for use therewith

ABSTRACT

A specialized wrench adapted for use with a lock nut assembly in which a lock ring is axially movable within a central recess in a nut, the wrench comprising a handle and a head portion having a nut-receiving socket therein of conventional configuration which is adapted to receive and engage the outer surface of the nut and a generally cylindrical ring rigidly supported within the nut receiving socket, coaxially therewith, the ring adapted to engage and force the lock ring axially into the central recess in the nut.

United States Patent Greenwood 1 Dec. 12, 1972 [54] LOCK NUT ASSEMBLYAND BOLT gorris ..151/8 a enson AND WRENCH FOR USE THEREWITH 883,1023/1908 Ellis ..l51/8 [72] Inventor: Eugene C. Greenwood, 468 ProspectStreet, Newport Beach, Calif. 92660 Filed: Feb. 8, 1971 Appl. No.1113,120

Related US. Application Data Division of Sort No. 783,311, Dec. 12,1968, Pat. No. 3,581,609.

US. Cl. ..81/l2lR Int. Cl. ..B25b 13/06 Field ofSearch ..81/12l R,121,90; 151/6, 8,

Primary Examiner-James L. Jones, Jr. Attorney-Hinderstein & Silber [57]ABSTRACT v the central recess in the nut.

2,488,894 11/1949 Barrett ..8l/l24.1

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures P'A'TENTEDuEc 12 m2 3. 705. 524

INVENTOR. EUGENE C. GREENWOOD ATTORNEYS LOCK NUT ASSEMBLY AND BOLT ANDWRENCH FOR USE THEREWITI-I CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION Thisapplication is a division of my copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No.783,31l f1led Dec. 12, 1968,

now U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,609, for Lock Nut Assembly and Bolt and Wrenchfor Use Therewith.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The presentinvention relates to a specialized wrench and, more particularly, to awrench adapted for use with a lock nut assembly in which a lock ring isaxially movable within a central recess in a nut.

2. Description of the Prior Art In my prior copending U.S. Pat.application Ser. No. 783,311 filed Dec. 12, 1968 for a Lock Nut Assemblyand Bolt and Wrench for Use Therewith, there is disclosed a radicallynew concept for a lock nut and bolt in which unrestricted turning of thenut and bolt is permitted in either direction and in which the nut holdsits SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION any new position. When the desired locationof the nut position by a positive mechanical lock in any one of manypossible positions. The nut and bolt may be relocated or repositionedany number of times without impairing the locking effectiveness thereofand while still retaining the same ultra-high torque value required torotate the nut or bolt, this torque value approaching the strength ofthe, nut and bolt. Such lock nut and bolt are particularly suited foruse in critical conditions where continuous readjustment is required,and is ideally suited for situations where the nut is subjected totorsion from the parts being held together, such as in the case withaxles, rotating shafts, valve pull-down stems, etc.

Briefly, such lock nut assembly and bolt for use therewith comprises anut having central recess including a plurality of inwardly extendingserrations along the face thereof. A floating, captured lock ringcomprising an inwardly extending tongue which co-acts with a grooverunning the length of the threads on the bolt to prevent rotation of thelock ring, and a plurality of serrations extending outwardly from theouter surface thereof is positioned in the recess, the lock ring beingurged by a light spring into the locked position in which the serrationson the ring engage the serrations on the nut, preventing rotation of thenut and locking the nut and bolt together. To move the nut, the lockring must be depressed against the pressure of the spring, disengagingthe serrations and allowing the nut to be rotated to a new position.When the desired location of the nut is reached, the lock ring israised, allowing the serrations on the ring to engage the serrations onthe nut. With the serrations engaged, the spring holds the ring inengagement until it is deliberately .depressed.

Still another feature of such lock nut and bolt is that they possess thesafety advantage that they cannot be easily unscrewed or changed withoutthe aid of a tool for depressing the lock ring against the pressure ofthe spring. In this manner, vandals and unauthorized tampering isminimized, if not totally eliminated. However, no such special tool ispresently available.

is reached, the wrench is removed whereupon the lock ring automaticallyreturns to its locked position.

Briefly, the present wrench is of the type including a handle and a headportion having a nut-receiving socket therein adapted to receive the nutand engage the outer surface of the nut. According to the preferredembodiment of the present invention, the head portion rigidly supports agenerally cylindrical ring within the nut-receiving socket, coaxiallytherewith, such ring adapted to engage and force the lock ring of thenut axially into the recess therein.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide aspecialized wrench.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wrenchadapted for use with a lock nut assembly in which a lock ring is axiallymovable within a central recess in a nut.

Still other objects, features and attendant advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from areading of the following detailed description of the preferredembodiment constructed in accordance therewith, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals designate likeparts in the several figures and wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a locknut assembly and bolt for use therewith on which the present wrench maybe used;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 1 taken alongthe line 2-2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a leaf-spring washer adapted for use inthe lock nut assembly of FIGS 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lock ring adapted for use in the locknut assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a top plan viewof a wrench constructed in accordance with thepresent invention adapted for use with the nut and bolt of FIGS. 1-4;and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the wrench of FIG. 5 taken along theline 66 thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT l060l0 OllO For purposes ofexplanation, nut 2 may be considered as having an upper portion 7 and alower portion 8, lower portion 8 having a threaded hole therein whichengages the threads on stem 5. Upper portion 7 includes a cylindricalrecess 9 which is aligned with the centerline of nut 2 and which extendsthe entire length of upper portion 7. A plurality of inwardly extendingserrations 10 are positioned on face 11 of recess 9 around the entirecircumference thereof. The depth of the serrated portion of recess 9 isapproximately equal to half of the total depth thereof, for reasonswhich will become apparent hereinafter.

Lock nut assembly 1 further comprises a lock ring or annulus 12 whichhas a plurality of serrations 13 extending outwardly from the outersurface thereof, serrations 13 on lock ring 12 having the same generaldimensions and the same angular spacing as serrations 10 on face 1 l ofnut 2. The inside diameter of lock ring 12 is slightly greater than theoutside diameter of the threads on stem 5 of bolt 3, so that lock ring12 fits over stem 5 and into recess 9 in nut 2. For maximum strength,the thickness of lock ring 12 should be approximately equal to the depthof the serrated portion of recess 9. When in the position shown in FIG.2, which is the locked position, serrations 13 on lock ring 12 mate withserrations 10 on nut 2 so that relative rotation of lock ring 12 and nut2 is prevented. Furthermore, although a space is shown betweenserrations l and 13 in FIGS. 1 and 2, such a showing is purely for thepurpose of illustration. In practice, a snug fit between nut 2 and ring12 is desirable and serrations 10 and 13 would be in contact.

Lock ring 12 further includes an inwardly extending tongue 14 whosewidth and depth are generally the same, but slightly less, than thewidth and depth of groove 6 in stem of bolt 3. For this reason, and asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, tongue 14 of ring 12 extends into groove 6 instem 5 so that lock ring 12 is axially movable relative to stem 5 butnot rotatable relative thereto.

The only remaining portion of lock nut assembly 1 is a means for urginglock ring 12 towards the serrated portion of nut 2. Such means may beany one of many commercially available compressible members. A typicalmember is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and comprises a Washer 15, the outerhalf of which is split to form a plurality of arms 16 which are extendedaxially to provide a plurality of leaf spring members. Although notshown to scale in FIG. 3, the inside diameter of spring-washer 15 isslightly greater than the outside diameter of the threads on stem 5 andthe outside diameter thereof is less than the inside diameter ofserrations 10, so that spring-washer l5 readily fits over stem 5 of bolt3, past serrations 10, and into recess 9 where it is positioned incontact with the base thereof. In addition, leaf springs 16 contact thelower surface of lock ring 12 when lock ring 12 is positioned in recess9 of nut 2. The main feature of spring-washer 15 is that it providesenough force to hold lock ring 12 in place in contact with serrations onnut 2.

In operation, spring-washer is first inserted in recess 9 of nut 2whereupon lock ring 12 is inserted therein, depressing leaf springs 16slightly, to form a unitary assembly. Washer 15, lock ring 12 and nut 2may be held together by deforming the metal of nut 2 above lock ring 12,as shown at 17, for example, after lock ring 12 has been placed insiderecess 9. Springwasher 15 will then urge lock ring 12 towards the openend of nut 2. Therefore, when at rest, and in the locked position,spring-washer 15 holds lock ring 12 in a position where serrations 13thereon engage serrations 10 on nut 2. In this position, relativerotation between nut 2 and ring 12 is prohibited. Furthermore, sincerelative rotation between lock ring 12 and bolt 3 is, at all times,prohibited by tongue 14 extending into groove 6, nut 2 and bolt 3 aresecurely locked together.

When it is desired to move nut 2, lock ring 12 must be depressed againstthe action of spring-washer 15 so that serrations 13 on lock ring 12disengage serrations 10 on nut 2, thereby allowing nut 2 to be freelyrotated to a new position on bolt 3. When nut 2 reaches the approximatelocation desired, lock ring 12 is released to allow leaf springs 16 ofwasher 15 to push lock ring 12 up against the bottom side of serrations10 on nut 2. If serrations 10 and 13 do not immediately engage, as willusually be the case, it is only necessary to adjust nut 2 eitherslightly looser or slightly tighter to enable serrations 10 and 13 ofnut 2 and lock ring 12, respectively, to engage. In the embodiment shownin the drawings, with 24 serrations on nut 2 and lock ring 12, turningof nut 1 a maximum of 15 in either direction will cause serrations l0and 13 to mesh. Any number of serrations may be provided. As is evident,the more serrations there are, the more positions nut 2 may occupy withreference to bolt 3.

With serrations l0 and 13 engaged, the action of spring-washer 15 holdslock ring 12 in engagement until it is deliberately depressed. Onceengaged, nut 2 cannot be turned on bolt 3 without shearing eitherserrations 10 or 13 or key 14 in groove 6. In this regard, lock ring 12may have one, two or more tongues 14 matching a like number of grooves 6in bolt 3 to give added strength to assembly 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6 there is shown the present wrench,generally designated 20, which may be used with lock nut assembly 1. Forpurposes of explanation, wrench 20 is of the box type, including ahandle 21 and a hollow annular head 22 defining a nutreceiving sockethaving the usual hexagonal inner surface 23 so that head 22 extendsaround and engages the outer surface of nut 2. According to thepreferred embodiment, head 22 supports within the nut-receiving socket,coaxially therewith, via any number of arms 24, a cylindrical ring 25,the inside diameter of which is slightly greater than the diameter ofstem 5 of bolt 3 and the outside diameter of which is limited so thatring 25 contacts only that portion of lock ring 12 which is inwardly ofserrations 13.

In operation, the placing of wrench 20 over nut 2 automatically causesring 25 to depress lock ring 12 against the pressure of spring-washer15. Therefore, with wrench 20 in place, as shown in FIG. 6, nut 2 may berotated to any new position. When the desired location of nut 2 isreached, wrench 20 is raised slightly, allowing serrations 13 on ring 12to engage the bottom side of serrations 10 on nut 2. After wrench 20 israised by an additional amount sufficient to insure disengagementbetween the bottom of ring 25 and the top of lock ring 12, wrench 20 maybe rotated in either direction, by a slight amount, until serrations l0and 13 snap into l060l0 Ol ll engagement. Wrench may then be completelyremoved and nut 2 and bolt 3 will be securely locked together.

It can, therefore, be seen that according to the present invention,there is provided a specialized wrench which is adapted for use with alock nut assembly of the type in which a lock ring is axially movablewithin a central recess in a nut. With the present wrench, simply byplacing the head. thereof in contact with the lock nut assembly, thelock ring is automatically depressed against the pressure of the spring.Therefore, with the present wrench in place, such nuts may be rotated toany new position. When the desired location of the nut is reached, thewrench is removed whereupon the lock ring automatically returns to itslocked position.

While the invention has been described with respect to a preferredphysical embodiment constructed in accordance therewith, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications andimprovements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention isnot to be limited by the specific illustrative embodiment, but only bythe scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wrench adapted for use with a lock nut assembly in which a lockring is axially movable within a central recess in a nut, said wrenchcomprising:

a head portion having a nut-receiving socket therein adapted to receivesaid nut and engage the outer surface thereof;

a generally cylindrical ring; and

means connected between said ring and said head portion of said wrenchfor rigidly supporting said ring within said nut-receiving socket,coaxially therewith, said ring being adapted to contact and force saidlock ring axially into said recess in said nut.

2. A wrench according to claim 1 wherein said supporting meanscomprises:

a plurality of arms connected between said ring and said head portion ofsaid wrench.

3. A wrench according to claim 2 wherein said arms extend between oneend of said ring and one end of said head portion, the other end of saidring terminating intermediate the ends of said head portion.

4. A wrench comprising:

a handle;

a head portion having a nut-receiving socket therein adapted to receivea nut and engage the outer surface thereof, said head portion beingconnected to one end of said handle;

a generally cylindrical ring; and

means connected between said ring and said head portion of said wrenchfor rigidly supporting said ring within said nut-receiving socket,coaxially therewith.

5. A wrench according to claim 4 wherein said supporting meanscomprises:

a plurality of arms connected between said cylindrical ring and saidhead portion of said wrench.

6. A wrench according to claim 5 wherein said arms extend between oneend of said ring and one end of said head portion, the other end of saidring terminating intermediate the end s ogsaig head portion.

1. A wrench adapted for use with a lock nut assembly in which a lockring is axially movable within a central recess in a nut, said wrenchcomprising: a head portion having a nut-receiving socket therein adaptedto receive said nut and engage the outer surface thereof; a generallycylindrical ring; and means connected between said ring and said headportion of said wrench for rigidly supporting said ring within saidnutreceiving socket, coaxially therewith, said ring being adapted tocontact and force said lock ring axially into said recess in said nut.2. A wrench according to claim 1 wherein said supporting meanscomprises: a plurality of arms connecTed between said ring and said headportion of said wrench.
 3. A wrench according to claim 2 wherein saidarms extend between one end of said ring and one end of said headportion, the other end of said ring terminating intermediate the ends ofsaid head portion.
 4. A wrench comprising: a handle; a head portionhaving a nut-receiving socket therein adapted to receive a nut andengage the outer surface thereof, said head portion being connected toone end of said handle; a generally cylindrical ring; and meansconnected between said ring and said head portion of said wrench forrigidly supporting said ring within said nut-receiving socket, coaxiallytherewith.
 5. A wrench according to claim 4 wherein said supportingmeans comprises: a plurality of arms connected between said cylindricalring and said head portion of said wrench.
 6. A wrench according toclaim 5 wherein said arms extend between one end of said ring and oneend of said head portion, the other end of said ring terminatingintermediate the ends of said head portion.